Anam Sweeps the Boards with 7 Wins | Animation Dingle Awards Announces Winners for 2026
Skwigly
This year’s Animation Dingle Festival has once again proven to be a resounding success!
Special recognition to our main sponsors JAM Media, RTÉ KIDS, Leader Funding and Disney+ and our new sponsor StoryToys. We are most grateful also for the support from Coimisiún na Meán, The IDA and The French Embassy of Ireland.
Animation Dingle is a qualifying Student Academy Awards® festival, which means that Student Films selected into our competition and nominated for an award are eligible for consideration to be nominated in the Student Academy Awards®
RTÉ Kids is proud to continue its sponsorship of the 2026 Animation Dingle Awards. We congratulate the winners and all participants for this year’s exceptional creativity and talent. Animation Dingle provides a unique platform for students and industry leaders to connect, and we are honoured to support the next generation of animation talent as they develop their skills and careers.
Suzanne Kelly, Group Head of Children’s & Young People’s Content at RTÉ
Complete list of winners
Young Animator of the Year (YAOTY) award sponsored by Disney
- The award went to Ethan Evans
Best Irish Student sponsored by RTÉ KIDS
- Awarded to Anam, by Ailbhe Fearon & Muireann Mulvihill, IADT
Anam went on to win a total of seven awards on the night!
- The Best Writer Award sponsored by Kitson Press
- The Best Art/Art Direction Award sponsored by Jam Media
- The Best 2D Award, sponsored by Cartoon Saloon
- The Best Original Score Award sponsored by SCGI
- The Best Sound Design Award sponsored by Turnip + Duck
- The Inaugural Best Irish Language Award sponsored by TG4
Best International Student sponsored by CBBC
- Awarded to Tumbleweed by Johanna Bouaoiche, Louis Creuzet, Marie Hareaux, Wilson Hinh, Arthus Mariet, Masha Moran, Gobelins.
Best Animation Award sponsored by MILKSHAKE!
- Awarded to Assimilation, by Iris Aghedo and Piotr Chodup, TUS
Best Stop Motion Award sponsored by Aardman Animations
- Awarded Death’s Peak by William Fair, National Film and Television School, UK.
Best Cinematography Award
- Awarded to The Cat Burglar by Saoirse Kelly, BCFE.
Best Director sponsored by Boulder Media
- Awarded to A Sparrow’s Song by Tobias Eckerlin, Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg GmbH
Best 3D/CGI sponsored by DNEG Animation
- Awarded to The Fall by Maxime Tevissen, Tom Alcamo, Hugo Hannache, Dylan Cam, Alexandre Velves, Titouan Kervajan, Yaëlle Alberti
The Best Irish Professional Short
- Awarded to Meteoric by Paul Ó Muiris
The recipient of Animation Dingle’s Best Irish Professional Short Award is eligible for consideration in the Animation Short Film Category of the Academy Awards®.
Best International Professional Short sponsored by Nickelodeon
- Awarded to You Play Too Much by Rob Shaw.
The Big Pitcher Winner
- Awarded to Mighty Knighticorn by Caoimhe O Brien, from BCFE has won a 3-month paid internship with JAM Media and will get to pitch at Cartoon Springboard later this year.
Best Sting sponsored by Monster Entertainment!
- Awarded to That One Time An Phiast Fell Through Reality by Padraig Whyte, BCFE
Best Game Sting Award, sponsored by StoryToys
- Awarded to A Silent Hero by Elisabeth Sykorova, SETU.
Murakami Award 2026 sponsored by Brown Bag Films
- Presented to Suzanne Kelly, RTÉ.
As we celebrate 14 years of Animation Dingle, it’s inspiring to see the exceptional talent and creativity on display from Ireland and around the world. This year’s festival again highlights the camaraderie and support of the animation community. We are committed to supporting these young emerging artists as they shape the future of storytelling.
Maurice Galway, Director of Animation Dingle